The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1887-09-01
REPUBLICANIsM AND INTERNAL REV.
FINITE

REPUBLICANISM AND INTERNAL REV
ENUE.
ct the leaders and managers of tn
Democratic party in Virginia would delud
the people into the belief that repeal O
that system may now be accomplished b,
the Democratic party. In 1884 such pre-
tence was successfully used by severa
Democratic candidates for Congress. TIL,
plea was that they needed the presidenc,
to secure the repeal of the system, and thu
people were thus deluded into their sup
port. In 1886 the promise of this repea
was as vehemently made as in 1884 by sew
eral Democratic candidates for Congress
but the people could no longer be deceived
The record of the Democratic administra
ton and of the National Democracy
| against the repeal of the internal revenue
system was stronger than any asseyeratioI
OF the principles of its minority, and the
result was the defeat of such candidates
| 1t remains now to be tested whether the
same hollow pretences can be used in 1885,
by the Democratic leaders with any more
success than attended them in 1886.
We declare to you that. at the moment
the Republican party lost the control Of
the Government, it was prepared to act or
this subject; that President Arthur haC
urged the repeal of the tobacco tax, and 9
| Democratic House, with the Republican
Senate ready and anxious to reduce taxes,
| declined to proceed that the Republican
party is now practically united in favor OF
| the repeal OF the tax on tobacco and fruit
Installations. and that if restored to power
| it will remove the burden which these do
nestle products have so long endured.
| We assert to you that the Democratic
! party, by an overwhelming majority in
Congress, is opposed to the repeal of the
| internal reYenue system, as IS shown by
| it's record, and the declaration of its lead
| ing and controlling men, from Pesident
| Cleveland down. We appeal to you, if you
| favor the repeal of that system. to support
Republican candidates for the Legislature.
and not to waste your votes on Democratic
candidates whose faction, favoring repeal
of these taxes, is in hopeless minority
of its own national party.
THE TARIFF.
Third. AS to the tariff. The platform
of the. Roanoke convention in this respect
is at variance with the record Of the Ma
tional Democratic party. 1t trayerses the
national platform Of the party, the recon-
mendations of the President, and the prop
ositions of its controlling faction in Con-
gress. The Roanoke platform declares in
favor of a revenue derived from tariff on
imports, and in favor of a repeal of the
internal revenue system: while the record
Of the Democratic party of this country
consistently and unwaveringly shows that
the reverse is the Democratic doctrine.
The Democratic view is reduction OF
import duties to virtual free trade, and the
maintenance Of the internal revenue sys-
TEN as a means of compelling the adoption
of that un American policy; and we ar
ocry, ha oh ,Io cI lou N
and seeking to deceive the people of Vir,
ginia upon question vital to their every
interest ana to the progress and power OF
the State.
1t remains 10 be seen, fellow citizens,
whether you will become the dupeS of pre-
fences which have made the authors of
this platform the laughing-stock of the
leading journals of their own party. The
Washington Post and the New Y ork World
two Of the most influential Democratic
journals OF America-have declared boldly
and openly that the planks of the Roanoke
platform upon the internal revenue and
tariff are Numerically opposed to Demo
cratic principles; and all over the West,
Louisville to Boston and Bangor, the
orthodox organs of the Democracy have
united in deriding and denouncing this
platform and its trainers.
=
PUBLIC DEBT.
Fourth. AS to the public debt. For
eight wears, from 1871 to 1879, the leaders
of the Virginia Democracy were in undis-
puted control of the administration OF the
State government. During that period
they gave the people no Ineligible state
ment Of the debt, but on the contrary. pro-
duced divers irrecOnSlable and conflicting
statements, only tending to make c0nfn-
sion worse COMPOUNDED. TAey formulated
no plan for adjusting the equities between
the several classes OF the creditors Of the
State, and finally lost power hy the passage
of a stupid ald odiouS measure known as
the MCCULLOUGH bill. which satisfied
neither debtor nor creditor.
In 1881 our party WAS called to full
power by the people. and within sixty days
after the meeting of the Legislature pre-
pared, presented, and passed measure
which Set forth the amount CT our public
debt, and a plan OF readjusting it equitably
as between the several classes OF our bond
holders, in such form that no one has yet
been found TO question successfully the
amount of The dett or the equity of the
adjustment between the creditors as
therein stated.
When this measure was passed the
Bourbon leaders denounced it as dishonest
and predicted its utter failure. Neyerthe
less. it went into effect, and was progress
ing most encouragingly. The only test
case under the debt legislation of 1882
which went to the Supreme Court of the
United States was decided in favor of the
constitutionality of the law involved, a
law vital to the enforcement of the whole
scheme, and the people were cheered by
the hope that a final settlement was indeed
near at hand.
Seeing this condition of affairs the Bour-
bon convention of 1883 abandoned all pre-
tence of opposition upon principle to the
debt settlement, it pocketed it's oft-avoWed
enmity to the legislation supporting it,;
declared that the debt question was settled
forever; and it regained power under a
solemn pledge not to disturb it, but to
carry out the settlement according to its
true intent and tenor. How the Demo
Gratis have redeemed that pledge let the
record and present condition Of the debt
question speak.
From the moment the Democratic man
ayers we're restored to the control of State
affairs the settlement has langushed.
| They have bafied it's execution by their
| incompetence and unfaithfulneSs.
Without understanding the principles
on which the supplementary laws to the
debt settlement were fran d, they at once
proceeded to amend them. although
pledged to let them alone. TheSs cases
which arose and were carried to the Fed
eral courts, after these amendments had
rendered the original enactments uncon-
stitutional, were all decided adversely to
the State. Funding under these laws has
virtually ceased; and under the judicia!
decisions which have been thus invited,
the coupons are more powerful than ever.
The debt question which was declared
settled in 1888, is now, in 1857, unsettled.
and if possible in worse shape than ever.
although the affairs of the State mean
while have been exclusively under Demo.
cratic control.
In the in.erval, having amended the laws
on which the debt settlement was depend
ent for success. contrary to their plighted
faith the Democrats have seriously pro
| nnsed Through their leader in the Senate